Quandary Peak Trip Report 07/07/2023

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Quandary Peak - 14,272 feet
Date Posted	07/07/2023
Date Climbed	07/07/2023
Author	123tqb

Quick Quandary
Quick Quandary Date: 7 July, 2023 Peaks: Quandary Peak Route: West Ridge, Cristo Couloir Mileage: 5.5mi Vertical: 2900ft Time: 3hrs Partners: None I showed up to work this morning only to find out there were no guests to guide up the Arapahoe Basin via ferrata. Guess I have the day to myself (what a tragedy)! Since I had already been looking at the weather all day to prepare for guiding, I knew that I had a near perfect window to go climb something up high. I had all my gear in my car already, so I decided to just head right to the trailhead. I got there at 9:30, plenty of time to make it to the summit by noon! I slathered on some sunscreen (couldn't get too burned, or else I'd continue to look like a tomato for the remainder of the summer) and started off on the rest of the road to the dam. There were some mountain goats in the parking lot, licking salt of the car tires supposedly. I figured I could save some time by jogging the road portion, which after coming to a stop only half a mile in meant that I'd have a lingering runner's cough for the remainder of the day. I had acted pretty quickly in getting here, meaning I hadn't done enough research; I followed the social trails all the way around the lake and kept going west up Monte Cristo Creek, instead of heading up into the drainage. Oops! Mountain goats. Love 'em. Still plenty of snow up high, but I found no problematic snow sections on the way. Pretty views on the way to the dam. I hadn't realized my mistake until I started questioning the "mile and a half" approach that I was taking on. I checked the topo map to find that, yup, I was going the wrong way. It was a small mistake in the end: I ended up remedying it by just heading in the direction of the ridge from where I was, encountering nothing challenging along the way. Yet another lesson that maybe, just maybe, I should actually check the map before I head out into the mountains! One day I'll learn... Wheeler and Drift look super fun! Maybe next time I come up here I'll climb something less popular. I'm so excited for wildflower season this year, with all this moisture! Ugh, it's all the way over there. Quandary was looking pretty far away from here, but at least it was all Class 2 to get there. I was still making fairly good time by the time I got to the saddle at the bottom of the route, so I wasn't particularly concerned. I was getting pretty excited for some Class 3 by now! If anybody decides to go the easy way sometime soon (unlike me), there's gonna be some snow on the approach. Alright! A good-looking ridge appears! Little did I know, there would be no scrambling for a while. The first 1000ft of the ascent are on Class 2 terrain, as if to punish me for getting off route for the billionth time. No matter, because I knew in the deepest part of me that there would be some fun rock ahead, if I had the patience. At least I had a solid view of the Sawatch, and even beyond! Blurry because digital zoom, but I think Snowmass, Capitol, the Bells, and maybe even Castle/Conundrum are visible. There really is just so much snow up high. Plenty of July skiing to do! After what felt like an eternity (45 minutes or so, if my photo timestamps tell me anything), I finally did it. I made it to the Class 3 sections! I gained the ridge, just like the 14ers.com description told me to, and there was exposure! And handholds! And narrow parts! What a time! The trail petered out, so I went up to the ridge crest. The dirt gully from the description. The crux headwall, which was pretty easily bypassed by some solid steps in the center of the wall and a traverse out left. It was all over pretty quick, but I was satisfied. All those miles (4mi, if my photo timestamps tell me anything) were eventually worth it for some hard-earned, good fun. Now I could see the summit, with a few people already on it. For an extra treat, a marmot decided to lay down on the trail right in front of me to say hi. On the summit I ate lunch, took plenty of group photos to celebrate other peoples' first fourteener ascent, and threw on my windbreaker to take a comfy sit. The summit is ever closer. La señora Marmota. Gracias por su visita. Time to enjoy a soggy avocado sandwich and a Ziploc® baggie of crushed up Pringles®. I was debating whether to descend the standard route, which I've done a million times already it feels like, or to go down Cristo Couloir directly back to the dam. Hearing that the standard trail had absolutely zero snow and no fun glissade opportunities, I made the obvious choice to go down the chossy, wet couloir. It was honestly not bad at all. I stayed skier's right for the first half, until it seemed like the skier's left would be easier. With minimal scree surfing I was back at the dam, and back at the car before I knew it. I gave my goodbyes to the mountain goats (still chewing at tires) and headed home to pack for the next big trip! The extent of the snow still left in Cristo. Not enough for me to be giddy about butt-sliding. Buttercups! My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload): Login required to view this map... Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Quick Quandary

Quick Quandary

Date: 7 July, 2023
Peaks: Quandary Peak
Route: West Ridge, Cristo Couloir
Mileage: 5.5mi
Vertical: 2900ft
Time: 3hrs
Partners: None

I showed up to work this morning only to find out there were no guests to guide up the Arapahoe Basin via ferrata. Guess I have the day to myself (what a tragedy)! Since I had already been looking at the weather all day to prepare for guiding, I knew that I had a near perfect window to go climb something up high. I had all my gear in my car already, so I decided to just head right to the trailhead. I got there at 9:30, plenty of time to make it to the summit by noon!

I slathered on some sunscreen (couldn't get too burned, or else I'd continue to look like a tomato for the remainder of the summer) and started off on the rest of the road to the dam. There were some mountain goats in the parking lot, licking salt of the car tires supposedly. I figured I could save some time by jogging the road portion, which after coming to a stop only half a mile in meant that I'd have a lingering runner's cough for the remainder of the day. I had acted pretty quickly in getting here, meaning I hadn't done enough research; I followed the social trails all the way around the lake and kept going west up Monte Cristo Creek, instead of heading up into the drainage. Oops!

22123_03 — Still plenty of snow up high, but I found no problematic snow sections on the way.

22123_02 — Pretty views on the way to the dam.

I hadn't realized my mistake until I started questioning the "mile and a half" approach that I was taking on. I checked the topo map to find that, yup, I was going the wrong way. It was a small mistake in the end: I ended up remedying it by just heading in the direction of the ridge from where I was, encountering nothing challenging along the way. Yet another lesson that maybe, just maybe, I should actually check the map before I head out into the mountains! One day I'll learn...

22123_05 — Wheeler and Drift look super fun! Maybe next time I come up here I'll climb something less popular.

22123_06 — I'm so excited for wildflower season this year, with all this moisture!

22123_07 — Ugh, it's all the way over *there*.

Quandary was looking pretty far away from here, but at least it was all Class 2 to get there. I was still making fairly good time by the time I got to the saddle at the bottom of the route, so I wasn't particularly concerned. I was getting pretty excited for some Class 3 by now!

22123_09 — If anybody decides to go the easy way sometime soon (unlike me), there's gonna be some snow on the approach.

22123_10 — Alright! A good-looking ridge appears!

Little did I know, there would be no scrambling for a while. The first 1000ft of the ascent are on Class 2 terrain, as if to punish me for getting off route for the billionth time. No matter, because I knew in the deepest part of me that there would be some fun rock ahead, if I had the patience. At least I had a solid view of the Sawatch, and even beyond!

22123_12 — Blurry because digital zoom, but I think Snowmass, Capitol, the Bells, and maybe even Castle/Conundrum are visible.

22123_14 — There really is just so much snow up high. Plenty of July skiing to do!

After what felt like an eternity (45 minutes or so, if my photo timestamps tell me anything), I finally did it. I made it to the Class 3 sections! I gained the ridge, just like the 14ers.com description told me to, and there was exposure! And handholds! And narrow parts! What a time!

22123_13 — The trail petered out, so I went up to the ridge crest.

22123_15 — The dirt gully from the description.

22123_16 — The crux headwall, which was pretty easily bypassed by some solid steps in the center of the wall and a traverse out left.

It was all over pretty quick, but I was satisfied. All those miles (4mi, if my photo timestamps tell me anything) were eventually worth it for some hard-earned, good fun. Now I could see the summit, with a few people already on it. For an extra treat, a marmot decided to lay down on the trail right in front of me to say hi. On the summit I ate lunch, took plenty of group photos to celebrate other peoples' first fourteener ascent, and threw on my windbreaker to take a comfy sit.

22123_18 — La señora Marmota. Gracias por su visita.

22123_19 — Time to enjoy a soggy avocado sandwich and a Ziploc® baggie of crushed up Pringles®.

I was debating whether to descend the standard route, which I've done a million times already it feels like, or to go down Cristo Couloir directly back to the dam. Hearing that the standard trail had absolutely zero snow and no fun glissade opportunities, I made the obvious choice to go down the chossy, wet couloir. It was honestly not bad at all. I stayed skier's right for the first half, until it seemed like the skier's left would be easier. With minimal scree surfing I was back at the dam, and back at the car before I knew it. I gave my goodbyes to the mountain goats (still chewing at tires) and headed home to pack for the next big trip!

22123_20 — The extent of the snow still left in Cristo. Not enough for me to be giddy about butt-sliding.

My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

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